


Calm

by winterwaters



Series: Never Forget [6]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff, this is what happens when I watch Downton
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-09
Updated: 2013-08-09
Packaged: 2017-12-22 23:28:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/919287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winterwaters/pseuds/winterwaters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Day 6 of AXG week. AU if Arya & Gendry are on the run and pose as servants in a Downton Abbey-esque manor. Also based on the adorable Bates/Anna scene from 1x04 of the show.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Calm

Arya sneezed loudly again in the empty room, grabbing the rag from the table to blow her nose. Annoyed, she dropped the napkin in the trashbin and sat on her cot in a huff. She’d been confined to her small servants quarters since morning, when she’d coughed repeatedly in the kitchen until Mistress Connelly told her to get away from the food before she infected all the houseguests.

The last thing she’d seen before she grumpily stomped upstairs was Gendry’s worried blue eyes following her out. He’d been dressed in a crisp, freshly laundered white shirt and formal trousers that morning, since it was his turn to serve the guests today.

His eyes seemed to follow her everywhere lately, seemingly always trying to make sure she wouldn’t try to run off again. Ever since she’d tried to escape the Brotherhood once and failed, he’d chided her for trying to leave him behind. Annoyed - though somewhat pleased at the same time - she had protested that he should have followed and maybe they would have managed to get away. As it was, they escaped a few nights later, taking advantage of the distraction caused by a scuffle with some rogue bandits.

They’d been traveling ever since, taking work where they could and scrambling together enough money for an inn every few nights. Then they had stumbled upon Netherfeld Manor, a gilded estate straight out of the old stories the septas used to tell her at night. With little more than the clothes on their back, they had asked Mistress Connelly for work, promising no trouble in return. 

Luck had been with them that day. The house was in desperate need of servants, and in light of an important dinner coming up, they could not afford to be shortstaffed. She’d made them a bargain - if they made it through the dinner without causing any problems, they’d be taken on with the staff. Arya and Gendry had resolved to attract as little attention as possible to themselves, and at night Arya would sneak out to share what tips and skills she remembered from her own household. The dinner came and went without a glaring issue - and here they were, nearly a month later.

The hustle and bustle that often accompanied the house daily seemed to be in full swing now, with guests downstairs enjoying their dinner and conversation, and the staff most likely running around to make sure things carried on smoothly. Disgruntled, Arya threw herself against her pillow. Gendry was out there working, as she _should_ have been as well. She didn’t need to rest, as the others kept insisting. She needed to work, to distract herself from the busy thoughts that always occupied her mind, never allowing her a quiet moment.

Arya hadn’t known anything but running or working for a very long time. The nights brought a fitful rest at best, before the morning sun awoke her early and bright to a new day that brought more work. She was grateful that there was always something to be done. Even when she was tired down to her bones, she couldn’t find it in her to sit still. Else she’d begin to think, and thinking brought far too many things that she wanted to forget.

Some time later, a knock roused her from her irritated state. Curiously, Arya opened her door to an empty hall. Then knock sounded again, making her jump, and this time she realized it was coming from the door to the servant’s quarters. The women slept on the fourth floor, the men on the floor directly below.

Stepping barefoot into the hall, Arya approached the door carefully. Opening the slat to peek through, she grinned at the shock of black hair that met her gaze. Then Gendry was leaning down, his blue eyes warm as ever.

“Hey you,” he whispered. “Open up.”

Arya grabbed the key from its hook on the wall, sticking it into the lock and feeling the latch turn with a satisfying click. She only opened the door partway, in case Mistress Connelly or any of the other staff got it in their heads to venture upstairs.

“Hi. What are you-,” she began to say, but Gendry put a finger to his lips for silence. Smiling, he held out the tray in his hands, and Arya looked down in surprise. The small black tray held a bowl of steaming soup alongside a plate of bread and cheese. A heap of blackberries - her favorite - also sat on the plate. There were far too many for only one serving, and Arya felt her cheeks warm as she realized he’d probably added his own share. A thin, tan vase teetered on the side, holding a single daisy.

A shy smile pulled at her face as she extended her hands to accept the tray from him. Stepping back, Gendry shoved his hands in his pockets, hesitantly rocking on the balls of his feet.

“Thank you,” she whispered, and his face brightened as he nodded in reply.

Then footsteps sounded on the stairs, and he hurriedly motioned to the key. Arya reluctantly let him close the door between them, locking it again from her side and hanging the key back on the hook. Still, she waited until the footfalls had lessened to peek out the slat again, happy to see Gendry still standing there. His fingers crept into the slat to momentarily grasp hers, and when he leaned close to brush his lips against her fingertips, a wave of calmness passed through her body all the way to her toes.

Then with a wink and red in his cheeks, he was heading back downstairs, and Arya found herself unable to stop smiling the rest of the night, her mind for once filled with distinctly new and much more pleasant thoughts.


End file.
